New NDP ad attacks Canadian Prime Minister and his 'solutions'

Ottawa
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Is Canada in the middle of an election season? No, but that hasn't stopped the federal parties from dishing out attack ads against their opponents. The latest one comes from Thomas Mulcair's New Democratic Party questioning the prime minister's solution.

Late last month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party posted an ad that attacks Thomas Mulcair’s New Democrats and their environmental policies, which the Tories call “dangerous economic experiments” and “risky theories.” The ad concludes: “We can’t afford Mulcair’s NDP.”

The NDP now has a new ad out that resembles the Conservatives’ and is a retort to the Tories’ “baseless ad.” It was published Tuesday and asks for the prime minister’s “solution” to the economic downturn facing Canada – it also has different statements, such as “worst recession” and “economic downturn.”

The narrator answers the question by saying Prime Minister Harper’s solution is to “attack the most vulnerable Canadians” by making cuts to Employment Insurance (EI) and cuts to the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP).

“Stephen Harper has created the worst deficit in Canadian history,” the female narrator concludes. “And you are paying the price.”

Supporters of the NDP received the advertisements in an email and were also posted on the NDP website, but it is not clear if the party will broadcast the anti-Tory advertisements on Canadian televisions. NDP voters are being asked to share the video through social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.

“We are not prepared to share the specifics of our advertising strategy; however, our objective is to reach out to a maximum [number] of Canadians," said NDP spokesperson Chantal Vallerand in an email to the Canadian Press.

According to Nanos Research, the NDP and the Conservatives are tied for first place with both hovering a little above 33 percent. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party, which is in the midst of finding a permanent leader, is behind by nine points. The Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party sit in the bottom with single digit numbers.